In a letter to Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and members of the City Council, Tom Sasser, chairman of the Charlotte chapter, stressed the industry’s support for the Panthers, but cautioned “that the city should not rely solely on the restaurant industry and our patrons.”

Whether the complaints of restaurateurs will be enough to sway the North Carolina legislature to find other sources of revenue for the stadium plan — diverting tax money currently being used to pay off the Charlotte Convention Center is one option that’s been raised — is way too early to say. But it sure looks like things are moving from “Should we give the Panthers money?” to “Where should we get the money to give the Panthers?”, which is a major, major victory for team owner Jerry Richardson.